


out of touch

by monokowritesstuff



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Mutual Pining, Night Terrors, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:46:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26595454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monokowritesstuff/pseuds/monokowritesstuff
Summary: Yosuke has a nightmare, and finds he’s not alone.
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Persona 4 Protagonist, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Comments: 1
Kudos: 72





	out of touch

**Author's Note:**

> Is this a projection Drabble? absolutely. Did I write this at 4 in the morning after waking up from a nightmare of my own? 100%. Am I sorry? No way. It’s my sleepover and I get to use souyo as a coping mechanism.
> 
> There’s some not-so-thinly veiled allusions to character death in this. I didn’t want to tag it as maj. character death since they don’t actually die, but the implications are there enough. Other than that, this is just two dorks in love that don’t know they’re in love. I’m gonna go play more NieR: Automata instead of sleeping now. Enjoy this... thing.

_ They’re all going to die, and you’re going to sit by and do nothing? _

_ How useless can you get?  _

_ … You can’t do anything about it anyway?  _

_ Then why don’t you just die, too. Save them some trouble. _

Yosuke awoke with a start, body on fire and heart about to pound out of his chest. The time on the alarm clock on his bedside read 4:58, and the first few pinpricks of early morning light could be seen haloing the shade drawn over his window.

Goddammit.

This was the third nightmare this week that had him waking up at an ungodly hour. The details prickled at the edge of his memory, only feeding the fire that was currently lit in the pit of his stomach. Someone had died. Probably Yukiko, or Kanji. In the string of dreams he’s had lately, they were the only ones who hadn’t met a gruesome fate yet. At least it was over quickly for them, unlike the first dream he had where Chie was the first victim. It was one thing to have your friend know they were going to die; it was a whole different beast to have them die right in your arms with that knowledge.

“Fuck…” Yosuke groaned, his voice hoarse and still dotted with sleep. “The hell am I supposed to do now…?”

The darkness was boring holes into Yosuke’s soul, making him realize how truly  _ alone  _ he was at the moment. What could he do? It was too early in the morning to bother with his guitar, he didn’t even want to think about playing anything that requires him to look at a screen, and he damn sure wasn’t going to get up and start getting ready for work. 

In the end, he just sat, staring at the wall and trying not to think of all the ways he was an awful human being.

It didn’t end well.

_ ‘You could call Yū, if you wanted _ ,’ his mind offered gently as a sort of twisted olive branch.  _ ‘He told you to call if you needed him, and clearly you do.” _

It wasn’t entirely wrong; when Yosuke started college in Yū’s home city (which had been an odd coincidence, but one he welcomed), he had insisted that Yosuke keep in touch with him. They’d already exchanged numbers years ago, but had fallen off talking regularly for some reason or another; and Yosuke would be lying if he said he didn’t miss talking to Yū. Despite living in the same place again, Yosuke felt worlds apart from him, and it made that hole in his heart grow just a little larger. 

“Fuck it,” he mumbled to no one in particular, yanking his phone off the charger and dialing Yū’s number. He didn’t have anything to lose anymore, anyway. 

Yosuke wasn’t expecting Yū to pick up at all. It was almost five in the morning after all. He’d prepared himself for that outcome, having sat up and wrapped up a little tighter in the blanket of his futon. After two rings of the dial tone, he was almost sucker punched by Yū’s voice.

“Hello? Yosuke, what’s wrong?” Yū sounded worried already, despite Yosuke not having spoken a word. “It’s been a while since you called. Is everything okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, it’s fine, partner,” Yosuke was taken aback by the tenderness in his tone, unsure of how to handle such sincerity. “This is gonna sound stupid, but… I had a shitty dream, and I didn’t want to be alone. Sorry if I woke you up.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I was already awake anyway. Do you want to talk about it? Maybe I can help you interpret it. Only if it’s one of those weird giant crab nightmares, though. That’s all the book I bought covers.”

Yosuke felt a laugh bubble up in his chest. Leave it to his Partner to crack a joke at the most unusual times. It made him feel a lot better, either way. There was just something about Yū that made Yosuke feel light as air, no matter the occasion or circumstance, and he was addicted to that feeling, even if he hated to admit it.

Yū had a way of making Yosuke want to open up and be vulnerable, and tonight (this morning?) was no exception. He found himself waxing on about the string of dreams he’d been having, how they made him feel, and the way that he couldn’t shake them no matter what he did.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Yosuke,” his Partner, ever dependable, said softly. “Night terrors are awful, especially when they stick to you like that. Truth be told… I’ve been having some of my own. That’s why I was awake already.”

“You are? Why didn’t you say something?” Yosuke scolded gently. “I wouldn’t have blabbed on about mine if I knew you were still reeling from yours.”

“No, it’s okay, really. Mine was… it was about you, so I had a feeling you were going to call. I was waiting to hear from you so that I’d know you were okay. I was really worried. You could probably tell.”

Yosuke balked a little at the easy way Yū said what he did, feeling something burn in his chest a little. He couldn’t mean that, could he? He was probably just being nice. That’s what he always did when Yosuke was scared about something. Reassurance was Yū’s whole thing, and this was no different, right?

...Right?

Even though it couldn’t have been, Yosuke still felt like it was. The almost longing tone of Yū’s voice made his heart ache a little for some ungodly reason. This was unlike him, and unlike his Partner, and unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. The easy flow to their conversation had taken on a different light, and it made his head spin.

He didn’t entirely dislike it. Especially since it meant being cared about.

“I’m okay, dude. I’m surprised you didn’t call me first,” Yosuke chuckled, finding himself smiling like an idiot. “But hey, I appreciate your worry. Maybe you could come see me in person, if that'll make you feel any better. It  _ has _ been a while.”

“...Yeah, I’d like that. Are you free today?” Yū’s voice crackled a little through the phone’s speaker. He must have been laying back down. “I don’t have classes, but I know you work.”

“I’m free, yeah. It’s just work. You’re more important to me anyway. How about you come over at three? That’s a little after I get off.”

“Sounds great. See you then. P-Partner.”

Usually, the droning tone that a phone made after someone hung up made Yosuke feel hollow. This time was different. 

This time, he felt more whole than ever.


End file.
